CALGARY — There may be only one winnable Alberta seat for the Liberals in next year’s federal election — and two prominent Liberals both appear to want it.

Kent Hehr, a quadriplegic lawyer who has represented much of the area as a provincial MLA for six years, has announced he will seek the federal nomination for Calgary Centre, which is currently held by Conservative MP Joan Crockatt.

Chima Nkemdirim, who is Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s chief of staff and was co-chair at this year’s Liberal convention in Montreal, had long been tapped to run for the nomination. Mr. Nkemdirim has not formally announced.

Calgary Centre has not elected a Liberal since 1968, but conditions have been lining up in the party’s favour.

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Ms. Crockatt won the seat by fewer than 1,200 votes in a 2012 by-election — she lost 20% of the vote share from previous Conservative MP Lee Richardson. Liberal Harvey Locke came in second.

The riding has since been redistributed in a way that favours a a centre-left candidate.

“It’s time for Calgary to have a federal Liberal MP,” Mr. Hehr told the Post. “We are a young, urban, intellectually sophisticated city that can handle a diversity of thought. I think that the time is now. I sense with every fibre of my being that Calgary Centre is looking for a progressive voice to vote for.”

Mr. Hehr offers a compelling personal profile: An athlete who had aspirations to become a physical education teacher, Mr. Hehr was hit in the neck in a drive-by shooting in 1991. The accident left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.

However, he went on to become a lawyer at Fraser Milner Casgrain — the same firm at which Mr. Nkemdirim made partner before joining Mr. Nenshi at city hall.

“I have great respect for Chima Nkemdirim. I consider him a friend, but I have a track record with the voters of Calgary Centre that goes back six-and-a-half years. I work and play with the citizens of Calgary Centre and the vast majority of them know who I am. They understand my value system and, in my view, I am in the best position to represent their values at the federal level.”

Mr. Hehr previously vied for the mayoral seat Mr. Nenshi eventually won in 2010 — however, he dropped out before nominations closed due to lack of widespread support.